


Home and Holidays

by Angstqueen



Category: NCIS
Genre: Community: tibbs_yuletide, Fluff, Holidays, M/M, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-30
Updated: 2013-12-30
Packaged: 2018-01-06 17:10:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1109407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angstqueen/pseuds/Angstqueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jethro and Tony spend Christmas with Jackson in Stillwater.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home and Holidays

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Notes: I apologize up front for this story -- it's been a difficult week. Long story short we had a death in the family earlier this week and I hadn't started my story beforehand. I didn't want to back out at the last minute so this is what I came up with. I apologize for any errors they are all mine! I didn't have a chance to get it beta'd.
> 
> Warnings: OOC Gibbs, perhaps? But this is how I imagine him when he's in a loving relationship, so...

~~**~~

He woke slowly and immediately knew two things. One, he wasn’t in his own bed and two, he’d been here before. Inhaling slowly, he relaxed as he recognized the scents of home. Not his home. Dad, he quickly realized.

His next realization of not being alone in the bed made him smile. If he was at his father’s house, then it must be Shannon—

_Christ!_ Jethro’s eyes opened wide as his breath caught in his throat. Not once in the time he and Tony had been together had he ever woken and not known who was beside him though it had happened with two of the exes in the early days of each relationship.

Had to be because they were at his dad’s place. He had never brought anyone but Shannon and Tony here.

“You’re thinking of Shannon, aren’t you?” Tony murmured, pulling Gibbs closer and wrapping his arms protectively around his lover.

“What gave it away?” Jethro knew better than to deny it since that would be a disservice to both Shannon and Tony. Tony had created his own place in Gibbs’ life while respecting and encouraging that Shannon would always hold a part of the other man’s heart.

“You tensed when you first woke up, like… like you forgot who you were with.”

“I’m sorry, Tony.” Gibbs’ rule about never apologizing had gone out the window when he became intimately involved with Tony. He had vowed he wouldn’t make the same mistakes with this relationship that had led to the breakdown of his marriages.

Tony rolled his eyes and pushed Gibbs over onto his back, straddling him.

“Shannon’s not someone you ever have to apologize for. Now if we were talking about Diane…” He waggled his eyebrows.

Gibbs barked out a laugh. Trust Tony to find the lighter side even as he was being serious about the apology.

“I love you, Tony,” he whispered, running his hands up and down Tony’s flanks, soothing the goosebumps caused by the too-cool room.

“Love you too.” Leaning down, Tony stole a kiss before shifting and curling around Gibbs, pulling the blankets up over both of them.

Jethro felt the younger man slip back into sleep, and he indulged in one of his favorite pastimes, touching Tony. The younger man craved physical contact, something Gibbs had known long before they became lovers. It showed with the people he was closest to. Abby, Ducky, McGee and even the head slaps from Gibbs himself, crazy as that seemed.

As his one hand kept constant contact across Tony’s shoulders, Jethro let his other hand travel across ribs and down the path of the spine, stopping short of touching Tony’s ass. His goal wasn’t to arouse but to soothe. Tony slept better and deeper after sessions like this though Jethro wasn’t sure the younger man was aware of his “touch therapy” as he privately called it.

He bit back a sigh, realizing that today was the day they planned to head back to DC. For the first time in a long time, Gibbs found himself in no hurry to escape Stillwater. This visit had laid to rest a lot of past demons and he found himself wishing to remain in this current bubble of contentedness for a while longer.

Knowing he and Tony had time before they really had to get up and get on the road, Jethro allowed himself to follow his partner back into sleep.

~~*~~

The knock on their bedroom door pulled Jethro from sleep the second time that day. By the way the light in the room had shifted he could tell a few hours had passed. Given their activities of the night before…

“Jethro! You boys gonna get out of bed anytime today?” Jackson called out. “There’s pancake batter and bacon in the fridge. I’m going to go open the store for a few hours.”

“Thanks, Dad,” he called back.

“Don’t wanna get out of bed.” Tony shifted closer, hiding his face against Gibbs’ chest. “Think he heard us last night?”

Gibbs chuffed out a laugh. “Doubt it. He takes out the hearing aids at night. Abby and I wired the house last spring so if his smoke alarm goes off the lights flash.”

“Mmmmm.”

“Besides, he put a bigger bed in here. That’s just inviting temptation.” Leaning down, he kissed his partner’s forehead.

“And we both know I’ve never been one to decline an invitation,” Tony laughed. His stomach rumbled and he rolled his eyes, embarrassed.

“Bottomless pit,” Gibbs groused good-naturedly, getting out of bed and quickly donning warm clothes. His father didn’t spend that much time in the big house so he didn’t see sense in keeping it heated much beyond the point of keeping the pipes from freezing.

“Yeah, and you love feeding me and I'm not necessarily referring to food,” Tony shot back, grinning shamelessly.

Gibbs didn’t bother denying it. Instead he headed out the door, on a mission for coffee.

When he got to the kitchen, Jethro stopped short in surprise. One wall was a large bay window and all that was visible beyond was white.

“The hell?” He opened the connecting door to the shop and found his father behind the register, staring out the front of the store.

“Really, Dad? You didn’t think to tell us it had snowed? That it's still snowing?” Jethro asked, irate.

Jackson shrugged as he looked at his son. “No point. You’d want to see for yourself, which you did anyway.”

The younger Gibbs shook his head, torn between amusement and frustration, not an uncommon state around his father. It was honestly why Jackson and Tony got along so well.

“Okay, so what’s the forecast?”

“Six to twelve with an additional inch of ice. News says there’s been a pile-up on the Pennsylvania Turnpike heading south. Nothing’s moving.” He looked at his empty store. “Might as well close up – doubt anyone’s going to need anything on the day after Christmas.”

Jethro went to the front door and flipped the lock before turning the sign to closed.

“Why open, then?” he wondered.

Jackson cleared his throat. “To, ah, give you and Tony some alone time.”

_Oh shit._ Jethro rubbed at his neck before turning to face his father.

“Nothing to be embarrassed about, son. Lovin’ someone, that is.” Jackson turned and led the way back to the house.

They found Tony standing at the stove flipping pancakes with a practiced ease. He looked up as they entered, pointing to the window. “Looks like a winter wonderland out there.”

“Not sure it’s safe for you boys to head out until this ends and they get a chance to clear the roads,” Jackson said, shooting his son a worried glance.

Surprisingly Jethro nodded. “Vance owes us. I’ll call and let him know we’ll need an extra day.” He headed for the living room to place the call.

Tony grabbed a plate and put the pancakes on it before turning his attention to the skillet filled with bacon. Using a long fork he turned it, lowering the heat just slightly before putting the lid back.

“Didn’t know you could cook, Tony,” Jackson commented, getting dishes out of a cupboard and setting the table for three.

The younger man laughed. “I don’t think flipping pancakes and cooking bacon really counts, sir.”

His companion laughed heartily. “Better than I managed when I was first married!”

“Yeah, well... being a bachelor for so long, you either figure out some basic foods or you live on cereal.” Tony shrugged.

“Suppose so.” Taking a sip of coffee, Jackson said, “I want to thank you, Tony. You’ve brought him more happiness and life than I’ve seen in him since… well in a damned long time.”

Grabbing the plate of pancakes, Tony placed it in the middle of the table.

“Goes both ways, Jack. He’s made me look at life differently too. Showed me what love really looks like.” Tony knew his face was flushed with embarrassment. Talking so openly about their relationship wasn’t easy but he liked Jackson and knew the older man accepted their relationship without judgment.

~~**~~

Jethro ended the call and tucked his cell phone back in his pocket. Vance had been amazingly agreeable, going so far as to extend their time off for two more days. McGee would be back tomorrow but with no fourth agent and no active case Vance planned to have him spend the day in Cyber Crimes, filling in for a vacationing agent.

Looking out the front window, he caught a reflection of the lit Christmas tree shining behind him. His dad must have turned it on this morning. Or maybe Tony had.

His lover had been stunned when Gibbs had asked if he wanted to spend Christmas in Stillwater with his dad. It made Jethro’s heart ache to know that Tony really had never had a chance to experience a family Christmas. Sure, his family had celebrated the holiday, but only up until Tony’s mother’s death, and after that Senior had shuttled his young son between schools and nannies and whoever he could con into watching the boy. And from what little Tony had said, even when his mother was alive it was a formal affair with little happiness involved.

Happiness. It was honestly something Jethro though he wouldn’t find again after losing Shannon and Kelly, and the failure of three subsequent marriages. He hadn’t celebrated Christmas like this in… hell, longer than he could recall actually.

But he was happy with Tony, really happy. And his relationship with his father was stronger than ever, helped by Jackson’s unhesitating acceptance of their relationship. This year he had wanted to share that happiness and so he had called his father and arranged to spend these days together.

It had been worth it. They had arrived mid-afternoon on Christmas Eve and helped Jackson decorate the small Christmas tree he put up every year. He and Jack had shown Tony the ornaments that had special memories attached and told him the stories. The younger man’s eyes had lit up and he took care hanging the ornaments on the tree.

Christmas morning had seen Tony more excited than Gibbs could ever remember. They had brought gifts for Jack, including a round trip plane ticket to visit them in DC, open-ended. Tony had given Jethro a blue silk shirt and in turn received a forest green cableknit sweater.

Their most meaningful gifts had been exchanged that night in the privacy of Jethro’s old bedroom. Tony had given his partner a platinum chain link bracelet. The weight of it felt right to Jethro, marking him in his mind as Tony’s. He had gotten the younger man a black tungsten carbide ring with Semper Fi engraved on the inside of the band. Tony had immediately put it on his right ring finger, knowing it would draw less attention.

Neither had discussed the meaning behind their gifts but both understood they were implied as symbols of permanence. For the first time since Shannon’s death, Jethro found himself really content in his relationship. He had known Tony longer than he knew any of his wives, including Shannon, before getting involved with him. And they had been lovers now for longer than either of his last two marriages had lasted.

Idly, Jethro wondered how Tony would take a marriage proposal…

“Hey, Jeth? Been calling you. Breakfast’s going cold.” Walking up behind him, Tony slipped his arms around his partner’s waist, humming with pleasure as the other man rested his arms on top and linked their hands.

“Everything okay?” Tony chastely kissed the back of Jethro’s neck.

“Yeah. Everything’s good.” Gibbs turned in Tony’s arms and captured his lips in a deep kiss.

When they broke apart, Tony gave him a genuine, heart-felt smile. “What’s that for?”

“I need a reason?” Stealing another quicker one, Jethro whispered, “Merry Christmas, Tony. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

Hand in hand they walked back to the kitchen.

 

~~ fin ~~


End file.
